The 2016 PMI PMO Symposium® has drawn to a close and as in year’s past, this presenter is glad to have some free time to reflect on the many valuable insights and wonderful networking opportunities that this event always delivers.

When organizations base their decisions on desires instead of data, it usually backfires. Here are four important actions that executives, PMO directors and program leaders can take to improve the predictability and success rate of their software development and enhancement projects.

Many business leaders are unacquainted with the wealth of knowledge about how software projects behave. No surprise, they are unable to explain why these projects fail repeatedly, much less do something about it. Here are five fundamental “laws” of software development that all executives (and teams) should understand and follow.

Attending the PMI Global Congress 2016—North America as part of the "Ask the Expert" sessions, one practitioner quickly discovered that the experts are everywhere—and that we all have something to learn.

Anticipate. Influence. Elevate. These were the themes of PMI Global Congress 2016—North America. Words of contemplation listed on a wall, blasted on screens, without context. Until we started the program and it all became clear.

Investing time and energy in a cross-mentoring group can pay dividends in your professional development as a project leader, providing a safe sounding board, invaluable advice, diverse feedback and a steady dose of inspiration. Not to mention, you will also benefit from sharing your own strengths to help others.

The best way to market anything is to explain the solution you have to a problem, and it turns out that user stories are a big help in that effort, says Agile Marketing Academy’s Nic Sementa, joined by special guest Alistair Cockburn. But writing user stories for ad campaigns is different than for software. [39 min.]

Road warriors — consultants and remote staff who mostly work in the field — need special support from their organizations or they can become disconnected. Howard Sublett, director of community development at Solutions IQ, discusses that challenge, as well as the idea of being of service to others and the “magic of interruptions.” [23 min.]